PROSPECTS OF MODERNIZATION OF THE UKRAINIAN GAS TRANSPORT SYSTEM WITH REGENERATIVE GAS TURBINE POWER PLANTS

Abstract

Nearly 64% of gas compressor units (GCUs) of the Ukrainian Gas Transport System (GTS) are equipped with gas turbine power plants (GTPPs), and their total capacity amounts to 83,4% of the power of all drive motors. Most of these GTPPs have already exceeded a life cycle and become out-of-date. Their average performance efficiency stands at 24-25%. The current state of the Gas Transport System demands immediate measures aimed at increasing its reliability and efficiency. At the first stage of modernization of the gas turbine power plants park, it is reasonable to extend the life of regenerative gas turbine power plants by 50-60 thousand hours, replacing their plate regenerators with new high-efficiency and reliable tubular heat exchangers. Recommended regenerator parameters: thermal efficiency 0.82; total relative loss of working fluid pressure 0.035. This will increase the efficiency to 31.2 % (instead of the existing 20–21.3 %), resulting in decreasing of the total fuel consumption for drive gas turbine power plants by 7.4%. At the same time, the weight of the plant will increase by 40% compared to the GTPPs with a base plate regenerator, but it can be reduced by using tubular surfaces profiled with dimples (the weight of the regenerator will decrease by 15-20%, the weight of the plant – by 6-14%). Replacement of the out-of-date GTPPs with modern high-efficiency plants is the second stage of modernization. The use of new regenerative plants with an efficiency of 40.3% will reduce the total fuel consumption on GCUs by 3.0% at modernization of the 16 MW GTPPs, by 18.1 % at modernization of the 10 MW GTPPs, and by 4.2 % at modernization of the 6 MW GTPPs. Recommended regenerator parameters: thermal efficiency 0.837; total relative loss of working fluid pressure 0.032. The total fuel economy for the gas turbine drive of the GCU due to the use of the regenerative GTPPs can be estimated within the range from 10.4 % to 25.3 %.